Best Served Cold
by InnocentKitsune444
Summary: Not too long ago Neal had a run in with an old adversary and Peter and Neal sent him to jail. Now he's back and when he demands Peter give up Neal in exchange for Elizabeth they are forced to make some tough choices. Contains whumpage.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: I am a huge fan of White Collar and I hope you all enjoy my imaginative twist. **

**WARNING: This fanfic contains spoilers of Season 1 and Season 2, especially the episode "Front Man".**

"_Life is nothing but a competition to be the criminal rather than the victim." –Bertrand Russel_

Neal twirled the fedora in his hand. Then he tossed it from one hand to the next, then back again. Peter slammed his fist on his desk. Neal jumped and dropped the fedora. "Problem Peter?"

"Yes Neal, you. You are my problem." Peter said. He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Don't you have a hobby? Something to get you out of my office?"

"I have hobbies." Neal said. Then he mumbled. "They just aren't legal."

Peter looked at Neal and then rolled his eyes heavenward. "I didn't hear that."

Neal said. "Of course you didn't. Any cases today?"

"No." Peter said, teeth gritted. "No new cases have shown up since you asked me five minutes ago. Most people would be happy with how little crime is happening right now."

Peter looked up at Neal, "Oh forget it. Look who I'm talking to."

Neal frowned, "I _can_ enjoy good things."

"Really, somehow I seriously d–" Peter stopped as the door opened and a pretty redheaded woman walked in. "Agent Rice."

"Hello Agent Burke." Rice said. She closed the door behind her and saw Neal. "Caffrey is here too. Good."

Neal smiled that smile that had won many ladies hearts. "Well Agent Rice, I'm happy to see you too."

"Be quiet Neal. I wouldn't take you if you came gift wrapped and free." She replied. Apparently the smile wasn't going to work on Rice.

As Neal's smile faded Peter's grew. "Every time I see you I like you more and more."

Neal regained his composure and replaced his smile. "What can we do you for Agent?"

"I…well I have some bad news and I thought it best that I deliver it in person." Agent Rice said.

"Enlighten us." Peter said.

Neal shrugged. "It can't be that bad."

"Wilkes is out." She said. "And he's coming after you Neal."

Elizabeth sang loudly along with the radio, some song about lost love and broken hearts. Dishes had never been her favorite chore but it wasn't as bad as laundry. Besides, with the music playing it wasn't so bad. There was a knock on the door. She yelled, "Coming!"

She wiped her hands off on the front of her jeans and turned the radio down way low; another knock. She rolled her eyes at people's rudeness. "I'm coming!"

She took her time walking to the front door and managed to open it with a smile on her face. It was a man at the door, a black man. "Hello there. What can I do to help you?"

He pulled out a gun and aimed it at her. "It's nice to finally meet you Elizabeth, or do you prefer El?"

Elizabeth tried to slam the door in his face but he managed to get a shot off. Elizabeth collapsed to the ground and Wilkes laughed. Time to play another round.

Peter stood. "What do you mean he's out?"

"He escaped. The U.S. Marshalls are hunting for him now but…no luck yet." Agent Rice said. "After what happened with Wilkes before I believe that he'll be coming after Caffrey for revenge."

"You FBI agents have trouble keeping people locked up don't you." Neal sneered and shot up out of his seat. "I escaped, Wilkes escaped, and who knows who else. You guys can't do anything!"

"Neal!" Peter yelled. "Get control of yourself."

Neal glared at Agent Rice before sitting down, his arms crossed. Peter stared at him. He knew Neal wasn't really angry, he was scared. Neal had almost lost his life and the life of another hostage. Wilkes had forced him to jump through the proverbial hoops to save the girl and himself and when Neal didn't comply he was nearly shot. Neal had recovered quickly like Neal always did but the idea of being forced into submission again would scare anyone, even Neal.

"I know that we made a mistake but I thought you should know now." Agent Rice said. "Wilkes is a vindictive bastard. I would be watchful of yourselves…and your families."

Peter slid into his seat as her meaning sunk in. "El."


	2. Chapter 2

"_If you share your friend's crime, you make it your own." –Latin Proverb_

The door was unlocked when Peter twisted the handle. He burst in with Neal, Diana, and Jones following close behind. "El? El!"

Peter ran through the house. He found the radio still playing and the dishes in the sink. "She's…she's not here."

"Peter? I think you should come see this." Diana said carefully.

Peter left the kitchen and went back to the front door. Diana was kneeling next to a stain on the floor. "What is it?"

"It's blood Peter." She said.

Neal sat in his seat and stared up into Hughes office where he and Peter were speaking. Peter hadn't cried but Neal knew he wanted to. Jones rolled his chair next to Neal. "What's wrong?"

"This is my fault." Neal said.

Jones' eyebrows raised and he grabbed a pad of paper off of Neal's desk. "Is this a confession?"

"A confession to what?" Neal asked confused.

"A confession to the kidnapping of Elizabeth Burke." Jones said. "Because unless you were involved in that this isn't your fault."

"Of course it's my fault." Neal said. "Wilkes, he's after me. It's all about revenge and now Elizabeth…Elizabeth…and Peter. They've been dragged into it."

"Dragged into it? I don't know if you realized this but Peter is an FBI agent. He knew what kind of danger could result from this job when he signed up." Jones said. "Neal, don't blame yourself until you have something to blame yourself for."

They both turned back to look up at the conversation happening in Hughes' office. Peter's phone rang and he picked it up.

"Agent Peter Burke." Peter said into the phone.

"Peter. How are you?" It was Wilkes.

Peter gripped the edge of Hughes' desk and put him on speaker phone so Hughes could listen. "What have you done with Elizabeth?"

"I used her to get your attention. Are you paying attention to me Peter?" Wilkes asked.

Peter ground his teeth together before answering. "Yes."

"I don't want to do this whole sing and dance routine so let's just skip the crap. Would you like to talk to Elizabeth?" Wilkes asked.

"Yes." Peter replied curtly.

There was silence on the other end and then, "Honey?"

"El! Are you okay?" Peter asked. He leaned forward on the edge of his seat.

"I'm shot, he shot me." El said.

"I know baby, I know." Peter said. "Do you know where you are?"

"No. I was unconscious the whole time." El said. "And honey?"

"Yes?" Peter asked.

"Shoot him for me." El said.

Wilkes whistled. "Quite the fire cat you've got here."

"Wilkes…what do you want?" Peter said.

"Come on Peter, you're a smart guy. I'm sure you can figure it out all on your own." Wilkes said.

"Don't play games Wilkes. What do you want?" Peter said.

"I thought it would be obvious. I want your consultant." Wilkes said. "I want Neal Caffrey."

"We've done this before Wilkes. You didn't give up the location of the hostage last time, what makes you think we'll believe you now?" Peter asked.

"Before, I needed a cooperative Neal. This time I just want a dead Neal." Wilkes said. "And I want the FBI to serve him up to me."

"We can't just give him up _knowing_ that you're going to kill him." Peter said.

"Oh you can and you will." Wilkes said. "Or I'll send your wife back to you piece by piece."

Peter's heart dropped into his stomach. "Don't touch her!"

"I'll call again tomorrow at noon. Be prepared to make the switch." Wilkes said and then he hung up.

Hughes sighed. "We'll get her back Peter."

"Before or after he starts cutting?" Peter asked sarcastically. He walked out of Hughes' office and slammed the door behind him.

Neal watched Peter leave Hughes office upset. "That must have been Wilkes."

"Poor guy." Was all Jones could say.

Peter headed towards the doors, so Neal got up and intercepted him. "Peter. I just wanted to

say –"

"If anything, _anything_ happens to her…if a single hair is touched on her head because of you," Peter said through gritted teeth and watery eyes. "I will send you back to prison for the rest of your life."

Neal reeled back. He looked down, ashamed. "Yes _Agent_ Burke."

Who was he to think Peter and he could be friends? When it came down to it, Neal was a convict and Peter was the guy who'd put him away and was willing to do it again.

**AN: Cold Peter, real cold. So, I hope everyone is enjoying Better Served Cold so far. The next coming chapters will be longer I promise so try to stick around and don't give up on me yet. Reviews with both good and bad criticism are welcome. I have to know what I'm doing wrong to learn.**


	3. Chapter 3

"_Actions punishable by jail sentences are not the only crimes." –Osamu Dazai_

Neal swallowed hard as he watched Peter walk away. Peter had been…less than quiet when he'd spoken to Neal and everyone who'd been within fifteen feet, in other words everyone was staring at Neal now. There were some smirks, some shocked faces, but what cut the most was the pity. Diana and Jones were shocked but Rice, she had pity on her face and he closed his eyes so he wouldn't have to look at it. Hughes came to the edge of the window and gave him the "double finger point". Neal booked it upstairs, glad to have an excuse to get away from the stairs.

Hughes motioned for him to take a seat. "Is something wrong Caffrey?"

"Elizabeth has been kidnapped. Do we need more wrong things?" Neal said.

Hughes sighed. "No, I guess not. Did Peter talk to you?"

Neal went back to Peter's words before shaking his head. "No."

"Wilkes called with his demand." Hughes said.

Neal arched his eyebrows in question. "And?"

"And he demanded that we turn you over." Hughes said. "Obviously it's out of the qu–"

"I'll do it." Neal said.

"What?" Hughes asked.

"I'll do it. I'll trade myself for Elizabeth." Neal said.

"He will _kill_ you Caffrey." Hughes said. "You do realize that right?"

Neal shrugged. "I never wanted to live forever."

"Caffrey, Wilkes is a vindictive, vengeful, and cruel SOB. He will make it slow. He will make it painful. And he will enjoy every minute of it." Hughes said.

Neal put his feet on Hughes desk. "Is there some paper I need to sign? A waiver?"

There was a knock on Hughes' door and a dark haired middle-aged man walked in. "Hello Agent Hughes, Mr. Caffrey. I would like a word with you Hughes. If you could step outside for a moment Mr. Caffrey?"

Neal slid his feet off the desk and exited the office.

The Director of the FBI shut the door behind him and took the seat Neal Caffrey had been in only moments ago. "The ransom demands of this Wilkes character…have you put much thought to them?"

"Some." Hughes said warily. "Why?"

"The fact is that Mrs. Burke is the wife of one of our most successful agents." The Director said. "If it comes down to it and we have to choose–"

Hughes stood up. "Don't worry Director. Caffrey has already volunteered to be the sacrifice. No need to tarnish your reputation."

The Director nodded. "Good, good."

Hughes rolled his eyes at the Director's oblivion to his sarcasm. "Well, if we're done."

"We're done." The Director said.

The Director stepped out of Hughes office and found Caffrey leaning against the railing. "You've made a good choice Mr. Caffrey."

Neal snorted. "My future might disagree with you."

"The FBI thanks you and I thank you." The Director said.

"I'm not doing this for the FBI and I'm sure as hell not doing it for you." Neal said.

The Director sighed. "Take a walk with me?"

Neal crossed his arms over his chest. The Director pointed at the cameras. "Away from prying eyes."

Intrigued, Neal nodded. Neither of them said a word until they had exited the building. "What is this all about Director?"

"Elizabeth Burke is an innocent woman Mr. Caffrey. It's not fair for her to have to pay for your mistakes." The Director said.

Neal bit his tongue to keep from mouthing off; something Peter always said got him into trouble. Peter… "That's kind of why I'm doing it. I don't enjoy playing sacrifice but I like El and she doesn't deserve this."

The Director nodded solemnly. "I figured that's how you would feel but…"

"But?" Neal asked, now slightly annoyed.

"But you could get cold feet, back out at the last minute." The Director said. "If you suddenly start thinking about doing such selfish things don't; because after Wilkes kills the lovely Mrs. Burke I will destroy Agents Barrigan and Jones' reputations, kill Agent Burke, and send you to prison for life."

Neal's heart froze and he looked the Director with wide eyes. "You're in on it!"

The Director was stunned for a moment but recovered quickly. "You really are as smart as they say. Oh, don't give me that look. Everyone has a price and Wilkes was more than happy to meet mine."

Neal's shoulders slumped in helplessness. "I won't back out."

"Good man." The Director said. "By the way, Wilkes would like me to give you something."

Before Neal could react, the Director slugged him in the stomach. Neal collapsed to his knees and held his stomach as he tried to regain his breath. The Director smiled, "I've wanted to do that since you started working for the FBI."

Then he walked away leaving Neal feeling beaten and alone.

Peter sat in his computer chair and bounced a baseball off the wall. _ThudBoingClunk! ThudBoingClunk! ThudBoing–Crash!_ The baseball took a wild turn into a picture of Peter and El on their honeymoon. The picture fell to the floor and shattered.

He jumped up and brushed away the glass. "Oh El! I don't know what to do without you here."

_What would El tell me to do right now if she were here?,_ Peter thought, _well for one she would demand that I apologize to Neal._

Peter winced. What he'd said to Neal was unforgivable and he knew it. He'd been hurting and angry and looking for someone to take the pain out on. Neal just made himself such an easy target. Neal liked to pretend he was confident and in control but Peter knew that if you pushed just the right buttons Neal would break like everyone else. And when Neal had tried to comfort him Peter had pushed those very buttons to make himself feel better. Peter hung his head in shame.

Peter snatched his keys off the table and got in his car; taking off to apologize.

Peter took a deep breath before walking back into the White Collar Headquarters. Jones saw him and waved him over. "How are you doing Peter?"

"I've been better." Peter said. "Where's Neal?"

"He just got back. I think he's in your office." Jones said. "Listen I think you should know that Neal…well he–"

"Hold that thought Jones. I need to talk to him right now." Peter said and he ran up the stairs taking two at a time. He walked into his office and found Neal signing a stack of papers one by one.

Neal looked up and when he saw Peter's face his own face went emotionless. "What can I do for you Agent Burke?"

"Peter." He replied. "You always call me Peter."

"I would prefer to call you Agent Burke from now on. Sounds more professional don't you think?" Neal said, he looked back down to his papers and began signing again. "I seriously doubt you came up here to debate the professionalism of using first names in the workplace so what _did_ you come here for?"

"It _is_ my office." Peter said.

Neal sighed. "Yes Peter, it is. Would you like me to leave? If I don't will you throw me in jail?"

Peter winced. "Neal, I'm sorry. I should never have said those things to you. I'm sorry."

"Okay." Neal said. He flipped over a paper and continued to sign.

"That's it?" Peter said as he realized Neal didn't have anything more to say. "Okay?"

Neal looked up. "What? Were you expecting me to forgive you?"

"Well I _did _apologize." Peter said.

Neal signed the last paper and then stood. "Yes, yes you did. You apologized like you always apologize after you threaten me. I'm tired of it Peter. Next time don't bother to threaten me, just send me back because nothing I do–nothing I've ever done–has instilled any respect in you for me. Now, if you'll excuse me."

Neal shouldered past Peter out the door. Peter watched him hand the stack of papers to Hughes in his office and then walk away. Peter headed after him but Hughes stopped him. "Peter, can I talk to you?"

Peter nodded. "Um, yeah Hughes. Can we make it quick though?"

"I want to know how you're handling this." Hughes said.

Peter ran a hand through his hair. "I hate that Wilkes is making me choose between Neal and El."

"But you don't have to choose." Hughes said. "Neal he…Peter don't you know?"

"Know what?" Peter asked.

"Neal volunteered to make the switch and save Elizabeth." Hughes said. "I thought he would tell you."

"No!" Peter yelled. He looked down and saw Neal with Jones and Diana. He ran down the stairs and took Neal by the shoulders. "You can't do this Neal."

Neal was quick to understand. "Hughes told you."

"You can't sacrifice yourself!" Peter said.

"Wilkes will give El back Peter. Things will go back to normal then." Neal said.

"Please Neal. We're friends. I've made some mistakes but we're friends." Peter pleaded.

Neal almost told him then. He almost told him how scared he was to die. He almost told him about the Director's involvement and the threats on his friends. His phone buzzed and he checked it. A message from the Director. KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT CAFFREY. Neal looked up and saw the Director by Hughes office. He swallowed hard and looked at Peter. "We work together, that's it."

Neal walked away leaving Peter with a shocked Jones and an equally shocked Diana.

Upstairs by Hughes office the Director smiled big.

**AN: Hurry Peter! Will Peter make it in time to save Neal? Will Neal be talked out of taking El's place? Please don't forget to review so I know whether you enjoyed it or not. Please feel free to critique!**


	4. Chapter 4

"_Crime is naught but misdirected energy." –Emma Goldman_

The cocoa-colored man who'd introduced himself as Wilkes after shooting and kidnapping her walked back into the room she was being held in, her cell. "How are you doing Mrs. Burke?"

"Not to well actually I met this asshole and he shot me and now I'm sitting in this godawful position which hurts my gunshot wound." Elizabeth said. "I'm having a really bad day."

"That wit remind me of Neal Caffrey you know." Wilkes said. Elizabeth smiled until he said. "It's not a charming quality to act like you're the smartest person in the room."

Elizabeth ignored him, "The FBI is not just going to hand Caffrey over, Wilkes."

Just then Wilkes phone rang. He saw the ID and smiled. "Hello Caffrey. To what do I owe this pleasure?"

Elizabeth could hear a voice on the other line but she couldn't make out what they were saying. Wilkes laughed. "So you know I'm not alone in this. The FBI Director doesn't like you very much, did you know that?"

More talking from the other end. "Sure Caffrey, you can talk to the little lady."

Wilkes held the phone up to her ear. "Elizabeth?"

"Neal!" Elizabeth squealed.

"Are you okay?" Neal asked.

"I'm fine." Elizabeth replied.

Neal sighed in relief. "Don't worry. We're gonna get you home safe."

Wilkes took away the phone. "Times up. I hope the Director explained to you what will happen if I don't get what I want."

She heard Neal speak on the other end and then Wilkes said, "Four pm…today."

He hung up. "Looks like you were wrong."

"About what?" Elizabeth asked.

"The Feds have decided to make the switch. "Agent Burke gets his wife and I get my revenge."

"No." Elizabeth whispered. "They can't just _sacrifice_ him."

"Be happy Mrs. Burke." Wilkes said. "You're going home."

But Neal is gonna die for me, she thought.

Neal stood in Peter's office and looked at the phone in his hands as a sense of numbness set in spreading from his stomach. He knew he was doing the right thing, he really did. There was no question that Elizabeth deserved to live more than he did but dying was dying and Neal didn't want to be dead. He thought of the enraged look Wilkes had given him before being driven away in the police car; it wouldn't be a quick death either.

Neal wanted to tell someone what was going on. Unfortunately, every time he was alone with Peter or Jones or Diana or even Hughes, the Director would show up and shoo Neal off wearing a smug smirk each time.

"Something on your mind Caffrey?" Neal jumped at the sound of Jones voice.

"No." Neal said, maybe a little too quickly.

Jones raised an eyebrow. "Of course. You wouldn't be worried at all would you?"

"Sure I'm worried…Elizabeth is in a lot of danger right now." Neal said.

"I was talking about you." Jones said. "Aren't you worried about you?"

"A little." Neal said. Jones smirked causing Neal to sigh. "A lot."

Jones crossed his arms. "Is there something you want to tell me?"

Neal took a deep breath and said. "Actually, there is. I–"

"Caffrey! Agent Jones! Did someone forget to invite me to this little party?" Neal blanched as the Director walked in and sent a pointed look at him.

"Nope. I was just about to leave." Neal said before the Director could shoo him away.

"Neal, wait!" Jones said. "I thought you had something to tell me."

Neal looked at the Director warily before saying, "Never mind. It wasn't that important."

"Let me walk you to wherever your going Mr. Caffrey." The Director said.

Neal forced a charming smile. "Thank you."

Once they were out of view and earshot of Jones, the Director shoved Neal into the wall and pushed his arm into Neal's neck. Neal gasped for air and tried to claw at the Director's arm but it was futile; Neal was smaller and the Director had years of FBI field work on him. He smiled cruelly. "I thought I told you to keep your mouth shut."

"I…wun't gun'…tell 'im." Neal choked out.

The Director released some pressure. "Sure you weren't."

"I wasn't!" The Director pushed again as Neal got too loud. After a moment he relaxed some again. Neal went on. "Jones guessed that I was hiding something. He thinks I'm just worried though."

The Director considered this and then dropped Neal. Neal's hands went to his now sore neck. "Are you sure he knows nothing?" Neal nodded enthusiastically. "Good. Let's keep it that way."

"I won't tell anyone." Neal said. "Just leave them alone okay?"

"That's up to you Mr. Caffrey." The Director said. He started to walk away before turning back to Caffrey. "The wait's almost over."

Neal leaned against the wall with his eyes closed. "I hope you're grateful for this Elizabeth."

Peter watched Neal walk downstairs towards him, Diana, and Jones and couldn't help but think, _What have I done?_

"What should I be doing to prepare?" Neal asked.

They all knew what he really meant. What should I do so I stop thinking about what I'm going to do? Diana pulled out a stack of papers. "I need to go over these with you."

Peter smiled, the Bullshit Papers. These were the papers that you pulled out when you needed to hold someone in processing or other such things. Neal smiled despite himself also knowing what these papers were. "Alright then."

"First question: Have you been contacted by Wilkes at all?" Diana asked.

Neal's eyes flashed for a fraction of a second before he lied smoothly saying, "No."

Peter noticed the lie. Something was wrong here, definitely wrong. While Neal answered questions Peter looked the young consultant up and down. As usual he was impeccably dressed in some suit that would cost Peter a whole paycheck with a tie that matched his blue eyes perfectly. His eyes finally settled on Neal's neck which was slightly bruised and getting worse. "What happened to your neck Neal?"

Neal's eyes widened in surprise before he placed that signature charming smile of his and said, "Problems with my tie this morning."

"_You_ had problems getting dressed?" Jones asked.

Neal blushed. "It happens."

"Those don't look like marks from a tie Neal." Peter pushed.

Immediately he realized he shouldn't have been more tactful. Neal's face shut down within seconds showing no emotion. "It's nothing Peter."

Diana picking up on the tension said, "Neal…what's going on?"

"Nothing. It's none of your business." Neal said ignoring the fact that he'd just contradicted himself.

Peter holds up his hands in the universal sign of surrender. "I'm sorry Neal. I'll stop."

Neal hesitated then sat back down. He nodded for Diana to start the questions back up. Diana, Jones, and Peter shared a look. Neal was hiding something big, big enough to throw even the cool confident con artist. Neal was in bigger trouble then they all thought and whatever it was scared him so much that he wasn't sharing it with his team. What could possibly scare Neal so much?

Peter looked around and happened to see the Director upstairs looking down at Neal with a smug look on his face. Peter shoved it to the back of his mind and watched Neal answer the Bullshit Papers' questions.

**AN: I know that this is one of the slower chapters but I promise the next one will be faster. Don't give up on me! As always read and review please! **


	5. Chapter 5

"_It is better to be in chains with friends than in a garden with strangers." –Persian Proverb_

Mozzie realized his cell had a voicemail. Few people knew this number and even fewer people actually called it; only one person really…Neal. He fumbled around with the phone; pushing buttons until he heard Neal's voice. "Mozz, its Neal. I wouldn't ask this off you any other time but…I need you to come to the FBI building. I'll meet you out front in an hour."

That message had come a half hour ago; Mozzie grabbed his keys and quickly ran to his car hoping to make it there before the hour limit was up. "This better be important Neal." He said as he drove.

"Wilkes?" Mozzie asked. Memories of the last time they'd dealt with Wilkes made Mozzie shiver; he couldn't imagine how Neal must be feeling.

"Yes Wilkes, and the Director is in on it too." Neal said. He ran a hand through his hair as he paced. "I don't know what to do Mozzie."

"Run!" Mozzie said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Neal sighed. "I can't run. Wilkes will kill Elizabeth, you know he will."

Mozzie sighed too. He'd grown fond of Mrs. Suit and her motherly antics. Neal was right, as usual. "He'll kill you Neal."

Neal nodded and pulled a stack of envelopes from his suit jacket. "That's why I made these. Don't give them out until after the trade okay?"

Mozzie flipped through them. There was one for him, the Suit, Diana, Jones, Hughes, Mrs. Suit, and Sara. "Are you giving up on me Neal? We can figure something out."

"I hope we can Mozzie, but if we don't I want them to know that the Director was in on it." Neal said. "He shouldn't be allowed to get away with it."

"You have no proof Neal. How do you know anyone will believe you?" Mozzie said.

"Peter will believe me." Neal said firmly. "He'll look for a connection between Wilkes and the Director and he'll find it. I know he will."

Mozzie shifted uncomfortably. Even if this was for Neal, standing outside the FBI building was more than uncomfortable. "We can only hope."

"It's been fun." Neal said. He held out his hand for Mozzie to shake.

Mozzie met his hand. "If you need help…"

"I don't want to bring you down with me." Neal said.

Mozzie sighed and said, "It is better to be in chains with friends then in a garden with strangers."

Neal squinted his eyes in confusion. "Who said that?"

"It's a Persian proverb." Mozzie said waving him off. "If you need help you call me alright?"

"Sure." Neal said resigned.

Mozzie motioned to the towering FBI building. "Just try to pick a better meeting place."

"I'll do my best." Neal said. "Remember; give them out after the trade."

Mozzie nodded and walked away.

Peter watched from the lobby at his consultant and Mozzie talking. There were few things that would bring Mozzie to the FBI headquarters and Neal in trouble was one of them. "What are you doing Neal?"

He watched Neal hand Mozzie a stack of papers, or maybe envelopes. Mozzie looked surprised then sad then resigned. Neal never showed emotion. Mozzie nodded then walked away. Neal's shoulders were hunched down; it was a very un-Neal posture. He stood straight, pasted that smile on his face, and walked back into the building. He greeted the receptionist and headed to the elevators. Peter pulled out his cell and dialed Jones. "Agent Clinton Jones."

"Jones, its Peter." He said. "Do you still have Mozzie's number?"

"One of the few benefits of being Neal's babysitter." Jones replied. "What's up?"

Peter sighed. "I want to talk to him. Can you call him and set up a meeting for me, before the trade preferably?"

"Already dialing." Jones replied and they hung up.

Mozzie answered on the fifth ring, just before the voicemail would pick up. In an awful fake Chinese accent he said. "Thank you for calling Ping Poo Puck. How can I help you?"

"Mozzie, its Jones." He said.

Mozzie sighed, "What do you want?"

"Peter wants to meet with you." Jones said.

Mozzie snorted. "And if I don't want to meet with him?"

"I've been authorized to throw you in jail for a minimum of five years." Jones lied.

"You're lying." Mozzie said. "But I'll meet with the suit anyway."

Neal sat in Peter's office again. He had his feet up on Peter's desk and had had them up there for several minutes. That's how he knew Peter wasn't there. No matter where Peter was, if he was in the building he was shoving Neal's feet of his desk within seconds. Neal was busy folding paper he'd ripped up into little flowers, a signature origami piece of his. He had over twenty flowers on the desk of many different sizes and a few different colors.

Unfortunately, Neal was so used to making these that they required no thought which left his mind to think about other things, mainly Wilkes and what he would do to Neal when he had him out of FBI protection. His phone went off. "Neal Caffrey."

"Caffrey! How lovely to hear that silver tongue of yours again!" Wilkes said.

Neal slid his legs off Peter's desk with a thump. "What do you want Wilkes?"

"I really don't like your tone Caffrey." Wilkes said. "Did you like his tone Mrs. Burke?"

Neal gripped the desk tightly. "Don't hurt her Wilkes. You're getting what you want, just relax okay?"

"I'm very relaxed Caffrey. Because you're right, I _am_ getting exactly what I want." Wilkes said. "I'm getting you, on your own, with no one to protect you. We're going to have lots of fun Caffrey. Just you wait." He hung up.

Neal sat back and took a few deep calming breaths; it didn't work. He had to remind himself that this was all for Elizabeth. He got up and slammed a fist into the wall. "Damn!"

He wouldn't cry, so he sat back down, placed his feet on the desk, and finished a half-done origami flower. Then he started another one.

Peter took a seat on the fading green bench in the back. It did not escape him that he was now sitting back to back with a short balding man; in fact, that was the plan. The bald headed man said, barely audible. "What's black and white and red all over?"

Peter scoffed, "That's the best you could come up with?"

"I had short notice!" Mozzie defended.

Peter turned to face him. "What did Neal give you outside of the FBI building?"

Mozzie's eyes widened in surprised before he said. "I was never there."

"Yes Mozzie, you were." Peter said. "I saw you there and I saw Neal give you something. What was it?"

Mozzie sighed. "I promised not to say anything."

"Mozzie! Neal is about to do something that could get him killed, if you know something than you need to tell me." Peter said.

Mozzie sighed again and pulled a stack of envelopes out of his jacket. "These. They're letters to you, me, the two junior Suits, the Head Suit, Sara and Mrs. Suit. I of course opened mine already."

Peter looked through the letters till he found his own. He opened it and found Neal's flowing cursive, as charming as the rest of him, greeting him. "Dear Peter. It's been a pleasure to work with you though I'd never say it to your face. I've enjoyed working on 'the other side' and I– What is this Mozzie?"

"A hidden code." Mozzie said. He snatched the paper from Peter's hand and folded it. Then he handed the letter back. It now read: the director is working with him. "See?"

Peter looked at his watch. A half an hour till four. "I'm not going to be there in time to save him."

Peter got up and prepared to run to his car before Mozzie grabbed his wrist. "You need to read mine first."

Mozzie handed him another folded letter. It read: remind him that Wilkes will kill her. "Sara's says, it doesn't matter that you know. Jones says, as long as he has her. Diana's reads, thank you all for everything you've done. And Hughes…Hughes reads, goodbye."

Peter nodded and ran to the car but it didn't matter if he got there early or not. Nothing he could do would save Elizabeth _and_ Neal, nothing. He was going to have to hand Neal over for death.

**AN: I hope this chapter picked up a little more since last chapter. I know that there was a little more bouncing around from person to person, I hope that doesn't make it harder to understand. As always thank you for reading and please, review! **


	6. Chapter 6

"_Danger can only be overcome by more danger" –Greek Proverb_

Neal had his eye on his watch as his few remaining minutes flew away. He'd never looked at a watch and seen a countdown but now. Every tick pounded in time with his heart and it was all he could do not to turn and run; run as far and as fast as his legs could take him. Neal had always been a runner and that wasn't going to change now. He thought of Elizabeth, of all the times she helped him and stood up for him…even when that meant she was fighting with Peter. Several times she'd snuck him into her house when he'd mistakenly been blamed for something. She'd made him breakfast, gotten him coffee, and gone with him to wine tastings when he would have otherwise gone alone. Elizabeth, and only Elizabeth, was what kept him from fleeing. He would do this for her.

Peter's car pulled up alongside the one Neal, the Director, and Jones were in. Diana was in the van watching. Peter sprinted from his car to theirs and tapped madly on the window. Neal got out. "What Peter?"

Peter looked at the Director in the car and then back at Neal. "I had a talk with Mozzie recently."

Neal's eyes darkened but that was the only response he showed. "So?"

"So, he told me a story that you told him recently." Peter said.

Neal replied. "Maybe Mozzie should learn to keep things to himself."

"I'm glad he told me the story." Peter said. "Don't do this Neal. We'll take care of…him."

Neal crossed his arms. "And then what? Even if we do get the problem taken care of Wilkes will still have Elizabeth and he'll be really pissed off."

Peter froze. He hadn't thought that through. "Neal…"

"There's a reason I didn't tell you Peter. It's not because I didn't want you to know." Neal said. Wilkes drove up; they could see Elizabeth in the front seat next to him. Neal started to hyperventilate a little but after a moment of closed eyes and deep breaths he was normal again. "Promise me that you'll take them down Peter. Promise me."

"I promise." Peter said. He wanted to cry for his C.I. but if Neal wasn't crying than Peter wouldn't cry either. "I will find you."

Neal smiled in a way that said he didn't believe him. "I know you'll try."

Wilkes stepped out of the car and Elizabeth got out. She seemed perfectly alright except for her shoulder where her shirt was red from the blood. He held a gun to her head. "Send Caffrey over!"

Peter watched Neal take a deep breath and hold it. Then he started walking forwards.

Every step was torture in itself. His feet weighed a ton and his lungs were made of lead. Every breath hurt and every heartbeat was as loud as a bass drum. He was near Wilkes too soon. Wilkes switched aim from Elizabeth to Neal. "It was a pleasure to meet you Mrs. Burke."

Elizabeth was crying. "I can't say the same. Neal, why?"

Neal looked down, avoiding her gaze. "Go Elizabeth. Peter's waiting for you on the other side."

"Get in the car Caffrey." Wilkes said.

Neal sighed and obeyed. Wilkes pulled out of the parking lot before any of the agents could get ideas. They drove for ten minutes before stopping in an alley and switching cars. Wilkes had the gun on him the whole time. "Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise. I know that you just _love_ surprises." Wilkes said.

Neal frowned. "I hate surprises."

"Good." Wilkes said. "And don't get your hopes up Caffrey, I'm not taking you to the same place I held the agent's wife."

Neal's heart dropped into his stomach. That had been his only chance. They stopped again and this time traded in for a van. Wilkes opened up the back door and motioned for Caffrey to get in. There was a man resembling a grizzly bear in size and features already inside. "Is he the chauffer?"

"No. He's the man with the taser." Wilkes said as he slammed shut the door.

Neal backed into a corner but with nowhere to run the grizzly quickly tased him.

Peter grabbed an agent. "Get an APB on that car. License plate number H44F5G."

The agent sprinted away to follow orders. Peter turned back to Elizabeth who was sitting in the ambulance. She had tears streaming down her face. "You'll find him right?"

Peter nodded, unable to tell her the truth. Neal was most likely never going to be heard from again. "Of course will find him El. I've found him before and he didn't even want to be found then."

Elizabeth smiled. "That's right. If anyone can find him, you can."

Peter was really doubting his abilities.

The Director stepped away from the chaos in the parking lot to dial his new partner. He answered on the second ring. "What do you want?"

The Director almost snapped at him, being used to having people jump to please him, but he didn't and instead said, "I just wanted to make sure everything went alright."

"Everything is fine on my end." Wilkes said. "As long as you keep up your end of the deal…"

"Of course." The Director said. "I'll be sure that Peter's team will be following false leads while you take care of Caffrey."

"Speaking of Caffrey…he's finally waking up." Wilkes said. There was a click as he hung up. The Director frowned, perturbed that Wilkes had cut him off, and slid his phone into his pocket.

**AN: This chapter was a little shorter than some of my others but I hope it still lived up to expectations. From this point on the story will get a little darker. All of you who aren't up for a little blood and guts should stop reading NOW. I also want to let you know that I will probably never again post two chapters on the same day. It was simply lucky that I had both of them written already. Don't expect it to happen again. Other than that I just want to thank you for reading and encourage you to review.**


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: I usually don't include an Author's Note at the beginning because I find it annoying and distracting but this is more of a warning than a note. CAUTION: This chapter and most of the following chapters will contain quite a bit of whumpage and could be considered a little dark. This will be my ****only**__**warning. Also, I apologize for the time it took to post this chapter, please forgive me.**

"_Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional." –Anonymous_

Neal's eyes fluttered open. An excruciating headache assaulted him and he groaned. Wilkes' voice said, "Speaking of Caffrey…he's finally waking up."

Neal sat up to look for the voice. Wilkes was leaning against the wall, his arms crossed, with a big smile on his face. "Well good morning Sleeping Beauty! How are you feeling?"

Neal smiled in spite of the pain in his head. "Peachy."

"We can't have that." Wilkes said. He walked over to Neal and held out a hand. Neal ignored the hand and stood up himself. Wilkes slugged him in the stomach.

Perhaps by sheer coincidence Wilkes had hit him exactly where the Director had hit him. The already ugly bruise flared from a dull ache to a stabbing pain and he collapsed to his knees again. Wilkes spoke. "Next time I offer to help you, don't turn it down."

Wilkes held out his hand again and this time Neal took it.

Peter pulled up to the left of the alley. The APB on the car had proved useful when a routine drive by the local PD had spotted it. Unfortunately, the car was here but Neal wasn't. Diana was already there talking to a middle-aged woman. Diana spotted Peter and waved him closer.

"Mrs. O'Hara, could you please tell Agent Burke what you just told me." Diana said.

The woman nodded. "I work at the restaurant over there, across the street. Every day I come outside for a smoke break at noon, five, and ten. At noon when I came out I saw a red Taurus parked in the alleyway which was weird because you don't just leave a car in an alley way. Not on this side of town."

Peter didn't fail to notice that his car was a red Taurus as well, which probably was Wilkes playing games. Mrs. O'Hara continued. "When I came out at five there was a second car parked in the alleyway. Two men got into the Taurus and drove away."

"Could you describe the two men to me?" Peter asked.

"Sure. There was a black man dressed real nicely, in a suit and tie you know? He seemed real angry at the other man." She said. "The other man was white and smaller than the black man. He had some beautiful blue eyes that matched his tie. I mean, he was just gorgeous."

Peter couldn't help but roll his eyes. Even kidnapped and under duress Neal was managing to leave a trail of broken hearts. "Did you see anything at ten?"

"Just the cop cars, that's when I realized it might be about those two men and the cars and came over to give my statement." She said.

"Thank you very much." Peter said. He pointed to one of the Harvard boys standing around. "If you would go over to that man and give him you statement, he'll take it down to paper."

She nodded and left. Peter pinched the bridge of his nose. "Wilkes is switching cars. That car was our biggest lead."

"We'll be on the lookout for a red Taurus." Diana said.

"_I_ have a red Taurus Diana. He's mocking us." Peter said.

Diana laid a hand on his shoulder. "We'll get him back Boss."

Peter nodded, "I know that. But will we get him back alive?"

Neal stared at Wilkes waiting for him to do something; instead he just stood there watching Neal. He knew Wilkes was playing mind games but that didn't stop them from working.

Wilkes shifted and Neal nearly jumped out of his skin. Wilkes grinned and said, "Don't worry Caffrey, I'm not going to hurt you."

"You aren't?" Neal asked warily.

"No. This is a new suit. I don't want to get blood on it." Wilkes said. He knocked on the door and after a moment it was opened and the grizzly stepped in. "Hugo, on the other hand, had to qualms about what he gets on his clothes."

Wilkes left the room. Neal forced a laugh. "Hugo huh? That is really an awful name."

Hugo backed Neal into the wall and then snatched his arm and pulled. He screamed before slipping into blissful unconsciousness.

Neal awoke with fire ripping through his shoulder. He took big gulps of air and closed his eyes. Not long ago Peter had dislocated his shoulder; to put it back in he'd had to slam it into the wall. That had looked more painful than the actual dislocation.

It took three times, three agonizing times of slamming his shoulder into the wall to put it back in. He had tears streaming down his face by the end.

Neal took a few breaths in a, failed, attempt to regain his composure. He went to the door to check the lock.

There was no lock. Hell! There wasn't even a doorknob! The door was completely smooth on his side. Neal slid down the wall and rested his head in his hands as one of Mozzie's favorite sayings played through his mind, _The only impossible lock is the one that doesn't exist._

**AN: The whumpage isn't too bad currently but it will get worse. I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. I'm excited to see the continuance of Peter's race to save Neal. Also, I included the name of a character of another USA TV show but it is NOT the same person. I wonder how many of you can guess who the character was and what show they're on. Feel free to review!**


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: Warning! This chapter will contain character spoilers from both seasons! Also, congradulations! We reached 4000 hits total, 3000 hits already this month, and 2000 hits alone in the US. Thank you readers! I couldn't have done it without you, no really...it's impossible without people reading it.**

**Disclaimer: I see a lot of people putting these and the top of their stories so I thought maybe that was kind of necessary so... I don't own anything except this SPECIFIC plot line. White Collar and all the people in it belong to USA but if I can get it from them...I will.**

"_A true friend is someone whose there for you when he'd rather be anywhere else." –Len Wein_

The door swung open and the grizzly stepped inside followed closely by Wilkes. Neal stood causing Wilkes to smile. "Don't stand on my account Caffrey. Hugo?"

The grizzly heaved a thick, hairy arm into Neal's stomach again. Once Neal had caught his breath he asked, "Do you have to hit me in the same place every time?"

Wilkes nodded to Hugo who then punched Neal in the jaw. Neal stumbled backwards. "Never mind."

Hugo gave him another punch to the face. Neal's eyes watered a bit but he struggled through. "I did say never mind."

"Forgive me, I didn't quite hear you. Would you mind saying that louder?" Wilkes asked.

Hugo hit Neal again, twice. Neal panted. "I'll keep my opinion to myself actually."

"You learn quickly Caffrey, always did." Wilkes said.

Neal glared at the grizzly. "You hit like a girl."

Hugo hit him again. Neal held back a moan. "That hit was less girly."

Another hit made him drop to his knees. Hugo kicked him in the back taking him down face first. While he was down Wilkes struck him in the chest. Another kick, another kick, another kick –_crack_! Neal yelled long and loud until his throat was too sore to yell any longer. "God damn, I think you broke something."

"Did I?" Wilkes asked sarcastically. He kicked again, irritating the now fractured rib causing Neal to yell again. "If it wasn't broken before, it is now. Hugo, taser him."

"No don't! I–" Neal started, but Hugo pushed the taser against his neck and Neal went out cold.

Peter sat in his chair, behind his desk, in his office. He stared at papers and tried to pretend that what he was doing was in some way helping Neal. In reality, he was waiting for a lead. Something to guide him to his missing consultant; so far they'd found nothing. "Damn it! I need a clue!"

Diana entered his office. "Hey Boss, how's it going?"

Peter sighed, "Not well Diana, not well. I have nothing and we are no closer to finding Caffrey then we are to finding the Holy Grail."

"You caught him twice Boss." Diana said. "You'll get him again."

"That was different." Peter said.

"Not really. Besides, this time Neal _wants_ to be found." Diana said.

Peter picked up the letters, unfolded, and then looked at Diana. "Let's go for a walk."

Diana would trust Peter with her life not to mention give up her own life for him. That didn't stop her from being curious about why they were outside the FBI building to talk. "Peter? What's going on?"

Peter handed her a stack of handwritten letters one of which had her name on it. "Before the exchange Neal gave these letters to Mozzie."

"Okay?" Diana said, still confused. She scanned through her letter which seemed to sum up his appreciation for her tolerance and kindness towards him. "What kind of bull is this?"

"Exactly that, bull." Peter said. He took the letter and folded it. When he handed it back to her it read: thank you for everything you've done. "They all have hidden messages on them."

"So he hid thank you on each of the letters?" Diana asked.

Peter took another paper from her hands, his, and folded that one as well. "Yours had a thank you Diana but mine…you should probably read it for yourself."

Diana did read it and when she looked up at Peter she was speechless. "Well shit!"

"Succinctly put." Peter said. "That's why I brought you out here. I don't know if the Director is monitoring inside the building but on the off-chance that he is then I don't want to risk it."

"So Neal…" Diana trailed off.

Peter finished for her. "Neal is at the mercy of Wilkes and the Director."

"Does he suspect that you know?" Diana asked.

"Not yet." Peter said.

"What are you planning to do?" Diana asked.

"Call in some help." Peter replied.

Diana smiled, "Some of Neal's friends?"

"Some of _our_ friends." Peter said. "We're a team."

The new team was a motley sort. Jones, Diana, Agent Cruz, Bancroft, Agent Rice, Alex Hunter, Sara Ellis, Mozzie, Agent Ruiz, Agent Jack Franklin and his former C.I. Rebecca Vidal, and even May Lin the Interpol agent were gathered in the alley by the FBI building. The room was separated with Alex, Mozzie, Sara, Jack, and Rebecca on one side and Agent Cruz, Bancroft, Rice, Ruiz, and May Lin on the other. The criminals to the right and the law enforcers to the left. Jones and Diana stood somewhere in the middle. "Hey!"

The people ignored him. "Hey!"

The people continued to ignore him. "HEY!"

They shut up and finally paid attention. "I know that in the past we've all had some rough patches with Caffrey but right now he needs your help. Rice, you had quite a bit of experience with Wilkes so I'm going to ask you to fill us in."

Rice moved to the front of the room. "Ryan Wilkes worked at one time with Neal Caffrey until Caffrey traded him in for money. Wilkes holds an awful grudge and several months ago he kidnapped Caffrey. Together with Agent Burke, Caffrey, and I were able to take down Wilkes. Unfortunately, this means that Wilkes now holds an even larger grudge against Caffrey. Time is of the essence. I know we don't all like Caffrey."

She looked at Agent Ruiz and May Lin. "Some of us actively hate him, but he's helped all of you out in the past. It's only fair that you do the same."

Peter took it from there. "Yesterday Wilkes kidnapped and shot my wife and held her hostage with Neal Caffrey as the ransom."

Agent Ruiz stood his hands on his hips. "What exactly does this have to do with us standing out here in an alley?"

"Before I continue…I need to know whose willing to take a risk for Caffrey." Peter said. "This could be life and death. I need to know I can trust you."

No one moved. Peter took a deep breath and said, "We have reason to believe that the FBI Director is in cahoots with Wilkes."

The alley erupted into shouts of "What?" and "You're out of your fucking mind!" and "Corrupt government!" and other such shouting.

Rebecca was the first to say, "I'm in."

"These are some serious accusations." Bancroft said. "Do you have proof?"

"Yes." Peter replied.

"I just can't believe the Director is in on it." Agent Cruz said.

"Spoken like a true FBI agent." Mozzie said. "Corruption and hypocrisy ought not to be the products of democracy, as they undoubtedly are today. Ghandi said that."

"What?" Agent Ruiz asked, confused by the little man's ramblings.

Peter rolled his eyes. "Ignore him."

Mozzie sniffed but said no more. Peter went on. "The point is that we need to put all our resources and skills, and I do mean all of them Alex, into finding Neal."

"Let's get to work then." Bancroft said.

"Let's get to work." Peter said. "'Cause there's a lot of work to do."

**AN: I noticed there were several requests for some of the other characters to come join in so I hope this helped. There will be more action involving them next chapter. I think this may be one of my favorite chapters but I'm not really sure. On another note, my upcoming WC story will be featuring a little more computer "stuff" in it so if any of my readers out there have an in-depth, or even remotely in-depth knowledge of (alleged) hacking and computer systems I would greately appreciate you sending me a message so that I can pick your brain. In the figurative sense of course! Thank you all for reading and please feel free to review!**


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: This chapter is a little short so forgive me. On the other hand, I _did_ post two chapters in one day so...yeah, we're even.**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own anything. I still wish I did. Sigh.**

"_That's one of the remarkable things about life–it's never so bad that it can't get worse." –Anonymous_

In Peter's many years at the Bureau he'd seen many crazy things. This case, and the people working on it, had to take the cake. They'd sectioned a twenty-by-forty feet section of the floor off for them to work in. If a non-Save Neal Caffrey Team Member crossed that line Mozzie would start babbling about conspiracies and cover-ups until you were on the 'right' side. People had quickly learned not to cross the line.

Diana and Jones and the other agents had access to computers and were using that access to their advantage. All had been given orders to check security cameras, traffic cameras, and any other cameras they could get their hands on. Diana absently rubbed her eyes having not peeled her eyes from the screen in over thirty minutes. He turned his eyes to Bancroft, Sara, and May Lin who were all on phones, using their status to gain information. Everybody has their uses, Peter thought. He finally turned his eyes to the criminals: Alex, Mozzie, Rebecca and June, who'd showed up fashionably late. _It's the way Neal would've wanted me to appear, _she'd said, _late and uninvited._

Agents were always useful, higher-ups were great to pull strings, but if he'd learned anything from working with Neal it was that no one knows a criminal like a criminal. He was expecting big things from the three criminals he currently had.

They'd come to some conclusions already. Rebecca told them it was likely that there was another car after the Taurus they'd switched in. Three was often the standard according to Rebecca. Rebecca, who'd been a car thief, probably knew what she was talking about.

Alex had discovered that Wilkes had recently hired some German muscle named Hugo. _Wilkes doesn't like to get his hands dirty,_ She had said, _He hired this Hugo character to torture Neal._

And Mozzie, well Mozzie did what he did best. Peter wasn't a hundred percent sure of what exactly that was but he was sure Mozzie was doing it. Neal was Mozzie's best friend, he was confident the bald man would be part of the solution.

Diana's head shot up in surprise. "I've got something!"

Peter dashed over to her desk. "What? What have you got?"

Diana pointed to something on the screen.

Neal was tired of being knocked out over and over again. All this tasering was going to cause him some permanent brain damage. He was sitting this time; he tried to move his hands but found them immobilized by chains. Wilkes was leaning against the wall yet again and Hugo was towering next to him. "Caffrey, Caffrey, Caffrey. How are you feeling?"

"Like someone shot me full of 10,000 watts of electricity. Oh wait! Someone did." Neal said.

Wilkes frowned. "I don't think bruises and broken bones are getting through to you Caffrey. Hugo, the blade."

Hugo slid a switchblade out of his pants pocket and popped it open. Neal inhaled sharply. "Wilkes…I think this might be a little over the top."

"You really think so?" Wilkes asked. He motioned to Hugo who plunged the knife deep into Neal's shoulder. Neal choked on a scream. "I don't think it's over the top at all Caffrey."

Neal's speaking was broken by gasps and sobs. "Wilkes I" _gasp_ "I'm" _sob_ "sorry. I'm" _sob_ "sorry."

"You right. You _are_ sorry. Sorry that you got caught." Wilkes said. "And by the time I'm done with you you'll be really sorry. Again Hugo."

Hugo stabbed him an inch or so below the first stab wound causing Neal to scream. "And again."

Wilkes exited the room leaving Neal all alone with Hugo.

Peter looked at the scene. "Is that what I think it is?"

"Sure is." Diana said. "A red Taurus parked in the driveway of a suburban house with Neal Caffrey's tie on the back dash."

"Let's go visit us a nice middle-class family." Peter said.

"I'll bring the doughnuts." Alex said.

"And I'll bring the fried turnips." Mozzie said. This earned him stares from everyone member of the Save Neal Caffrey Team. "Or maybe just coffee."

The Director was on the phone with Wilkes. "He called in a few people."

"How many people is a few people Director?" Wilkes asked.

"Okay, there might have been a few more than a few." He replied. "And they've already got a few leads including one on Hugo."

Wilkes swore loudly then said. "You get busy throwing them off."

"Of course." The Director said. "But he's got Bancroft here and someone from Interpol. I think this has suddenly gotten a whole lot more dangerous. I'll be raising my price another five."

"Another three." Wilkes negotiated.

"Deal." The Director said. There was a final _click_ as he hung up.

Wilkes smiled. The Director would be dead before long. Like Wilkes was going to pay him anything…he heard another scream come from Caffrey's room and smiled wider. Today was a good day. A very, _very_ good day.

**AN: We're just short of 5000 total hits on Best Served Cold and just short of 4000 hits for June alone. We also just made it above 1000 visitors. Thank you guys so much! Don't forget to spread word I need someone with strong computer knowledge to help me out. Please feel free to review!**


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: Sorry for the wait guys.**

**Disclaimer: I own Hugo by default. That's it though…sigh.**

WCWCWCWCWCWCWC

_"All good things must come to an end, but all bad things can continue forever." -Anonymous_

WCWCWCWCWCWCWC

Neal dragged in a painful breath…then another one. Neal closed his eyes as he realized that his entire life depended on dragging in painful breaths. A part of him, a part he was constantly fighting in the back of his mind, was telling him to give up; to stop taking these painful breaths and get some peace. But Neal had never been one to give up; he dragged in another breath.

The door opened and Wilkes and Hugo stepped inside. "Caffrey. You look, well, you look awful."

"Flattery will get you everywhere." Neal said.

Wilkes shook his head. "Witty to the very end."

"One of my better qualities don't you think?" Neal said.

Wilkes replied. "No. I don't think so."

Hugo pulled out the switchblade again. "Should I stab him again?"

"No." Wilkes replied. "I'm afraid you'll kill him."

"Isn't that kind of the plan?" Neal asked.

"That's the end game Caffrey." Wilkes said. "I want your suffering to last a long time before that."

"Are you going to break another rib?" Neal asked.

Wilkes smiled. "Do you want me to?"

"What are my other choices?" Neal asked

"This isn't a multiple choice test Caffrey." Wilkes said.

Neal smiled. "Damn. I really thought I was going to ace it too."

Hugo reared his fist back and Neal flinched. Wilkes laughed. "I think another round ought to teach him a lesson Hugo."

"Another round of what?" Neal asked.

Wilkes shrugged. "Whatever Hugo wants. Keep him alive Hugo."

"How long do I have?" Hugo asked him.

"Plenty of time." Wilkes said. "The Feds won't find him until the insects have taken what's left. We have all the time in the world."

Hugo smiled as Wilkes left. Neal dragged in another breath.

WCWCWCWCWCWCWC

Peter pulled into the parking lot of one middle class home. It even had a little gnome in the front yard. Mozzie said, "The enemy of society is middle class."

"Orson Welles." June said quickly.

Mozzie smiled and nodded his head. "I am impressed."

"Slums may be the breeding grounds of crime, but middle class suburbs are incubators of apathy and delirium." June said.

"Disraeli?" Mozzie asked.

"Cyril Connolly." Alex corrected and then added. "The middle class, that prisoner of the barbarian 20th century."

"Sinclair Lewis." Mozzie said.

"Wise men make proverbs, but fools repeat them." Peter said. "Samuel Palmer."

Mozzie raised his eyebrows. "Touché Suit, touché."

"Get out of the car. All of you." Peter said. He was pulled up next to the other red Taurus. It was an eerie feeling to know that only yesterday Neal had been trapped in this car with a gun pointed at him. "Let's go knock on the door."

Diana stood next to him on the front porch. Both looked back at the crowd behind them: Jones, June, Agent Cruz, Bancroft, Agent Rice, Alex Hunter, Sara Ellis, Mozzie, Agent Ruiz, Agent Jack Franklin, Rebecca Vidal, and May Lin. "Do you know what this reminds me of Boss?"

"No, what?" Peter asked her.

"Do you remember when Larson tried to frame you?" She asked.

"Yes of course. What about it?" He said.

"Well, do you remember when we all got together and planned that con?" Diana asked.

Peter smiled. "Yeah, not one of my finer moments."

"Well, this kind of feels like that." Diana said.

"Like it's not one of my finer moments?" Peter said.

"No, no." Diana replied. "Like we're all together to save one of our own."

"That's because we are Diana." Peter said.

The door opened and a middle-aged man stood before them. "Hello there. Can I help you…all?" The man looked around the agents on his doorstep at the twelve people behind them."

Peter showed the man his FBI badge. "My name is Agent Peter Burke. I'm with the FBI. I'd like to ask you some questions about the red Taurus in your driveway."

The man looked out. "Which one?"

Peter ground his teeth together. "The one on the right."

The man sighed. "I tried to warn her that this would happen."

"You knew the FBI would show up on your doorstep?" Diana asked.

"Not this _exactly_ but something like this." The man said. He shook his head. "We never should have traded the cars."

"Traded the cars?" Peter asked.

The man nodded. "About a week ago a man came to the door with a proposition. He would take our beat up old van and in exchange we could have his red Taurus."

"And you didn't think that was weird?" Peter asked.

"Of course I thought it was weird but, you see, my wife thinks she has woman's intuition or some nonsense like that and she said that she was getting a trustworthy vibe from this guy." The man said. "I don't argue with my wife."

Peter nodded because marriage was something he understood. He motioned Agent Rice forward. "Show him the picture."

Agent Rice pulled out a picture of Wilkes. "Is this the man you saw?"

"No." The man replied.

Agent Rice pulled out a picture of Hugo. "Is this the man you saw?"

The man nodded. "Yes, that's him. Hey, what did these guys do?"

Peter pulled a picture of Neal out. "They kidnapped this man."

"Oh golly." The man said. "I'm sorry. If I had known…"

"You didn't argue with your wife." Peter said. "I get it."

"You must be married Agent Burke." The man said. "I'm guessing you need the Taurus."

"It's evidence." Peter confirmed.

The man sighed. "I've got to go call the rental agency. If there's anything else you need?"

"No. That'll be all for now. Someone will be here soon to take your statement." Peter said. "If you could just tell me what the van looked like and such."

"I'll do you one better." The man said. "I've got pictures."

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Neal stood but he's legs were trembling. This was Hugo's new game. Stand at the wall; don't move. Any movement resulted in a debilitating kick and more kicks until you stood back up. Neal was quickly losing his fondness for games. Neal lost control of his right legs which twitched.

For such a large man Hugo sure moved quickly. Neal was down on ground within seconds and more blows were being rained down continuously. Neal stood up because he knew that's what Peter would have done. What Peter would have wanted Neal to do.

The pain in his body was immense. Soon there would be a time when Neal could no longer continue to stay conscious. He was hoping that time would be soon. What he would give to lose consciousness right now?

Another twitch dropped him to the ground. There were several kicks and then…darkness.

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The Director called in some favors. Burke and his new team could dig as deep as they wanted but the red tape would set them back for quite awhile. He smiled, pleased with his accomplishment. _This_ is what had landed him the position of FBI Director. He was resourceful.

Apparently that would work just as well outside of the law as it had in it.

The Director knew that Burke knew. He could tell the White Collar agent was informed of the Director's involvement by the heated glares Burke sent him. He would glare at the Director, curl his hands into fists, and then go back to searching for Caffrey. Who knew that a con artist would cause such a man-hunt. He picked up the phone and called Wilkes. "I buried Burke in a mountain of red tape."

"Good." Wilkes said. "That should stall him for awhile."

"I have to warn you that he's working with some criminals and no amount of red tape will affect them." The Director said.

Wilkes was silent for a moment before saying. "Then get them out of the way."

"With pleasure." The Director said.

They hung up.

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**AN: I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I did. Sorry for the wait. Please note that I have another story up by the name of Anything You Can Do. It's more humorous than angsty but I think you'll enjoy it. By the way, I want to reach 100 reviews at least. We're at 82. We've got over 5000 hits and over 1000 visitors. Let's keep improving those numbers! Thanks again!**


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: Hope you guys are all enjoying your summer and the new fanfics that come with it!**

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"_Always do what you are afraid to do." –Ralph Waldo Emerson_

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"What are exigent circumstances?" Elizabeth asked. Now that she was out of the hospital El wanted to do everything possible to get the prick that put her there. "And how does it relate to this case?"

"They're annoying rules to follow and it doesn't relate to this case." Diana said. She looked at the stack of paperwork on her desk and almost cried. Diana was not much of a crier but this was ridiculous. "I don't know what we're gonna do about all this paperwork Boss."

"We're going to trudge through it like we always do." Peter said. "But faster."

"I can't believe that prick gets to bury us in red tape and gets away with it." Mozzie said.

Peter nodded in agreement. "It's one of the perks of being a good guy. No one expects you to be the bad guy."

"There is so much wrong with our justice department." Mozzie said. June, Rachel, and Alex raised their hands in an amen.

Peter signed his name for what seemed like the thousandth time but was probably more like the millionth. "He's burying us in bureaucratic bullshit. With all fifteen of us working we might dig ourselves out but this fighting to merely survive isn't getting us anywhere. We're no closer to finding Neal now then we were ten hours ago."

"Maybe we'll get a hit off the van." Jones said.

"Not likely." Peter replied. "As much as I hate to admit it Wilkes is smart. He wouldn't just leave the car out to be spotted. How are we coming on his financials?"

"Slowly." Agent Cruz said. "I have to type in my username and password every time I switch from one webpage to the next."

Peter looked at Bancroft. "Anything off of Hugo?"

"Nothing except for the fact that we know he arrived here in New York on Wednesday of last week, rented a car, and ate a hot dog at the airport." Bancroft said.

"GPS on the car?" Peter asked.

"Yes. It's parked in the parking lot of some strip club. The guys went in to check it out but found nothing. We're still staking it out just in case." Bancroft said.

"Good." Peter said. "What about you Agent Rice? Did you find anything on his escape?"

"He made a few phone calls and sent some e-mails but it's all encrypted. We're working on that now." She said. "We're also checking on the financials of the guards and other staff to see if he used any of their cards."

"Like Caffrey did to buy the guards uniform." Peter reasoned. "How exactly did he escape?"

"Brute force. He incited a riot and when the guards came to break it up he took one of them hostage. Got away and left the guard seriously injured." Agent Rice said.

"Did we talk to the guard?" Peter said. "Maybe Wilkes said something or hinted."

"Nope. The guy said the only thing Wilkes said was shut up and don't try anything." She replied.

Peter ran a hand down his face and then asked May Lin. "Did you get anything from Interpol?"

"Nothing useful." She replied. "Only that they have not left the country and none of Wilkes or Hugo's aliases have shipped anything recently."

"I want to check out this strip club." Peter said. Elizabeth's head shot up. "Maybe we can find something on Hugo."

"I'm coming too." Elizabeth said.

"It could be dangerous." Peter replied.

Elizabeth arched an eyebrow. "After what happened with the Dr. Tannenbaum case…I'm not letting you go to a strip club without my supervision. Besides, I want to be there when this guy gets caught."

Peter sighed; obviously not winning this battle. "Fine. But if I tell you to run, you run."

"Going to a strip club." Jones said shaking his head. "Lucky duck."

Diana sighed wistfully. "I haven't been to a strip club in years."

Everyone gave her a short look before going back to what they were doing. You don't look at Diana like that for too long unless you want something important cut off. Peter smiled. "You can come too Diana."

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Neal woke without pain. No, that wasn't right. There was pain everywhere. So much that he couldn't tell the difference between pain and comfort. There was only pain left. He was on his back spread-eagle, staring up at the ceiling. It was concrete just like the rest of the room. Neal wondered if that made it easier to clean up the blood. He decided to sit up, but couldn't remember how exactly that was done. All these beatings and stabbings and being knocked unconscious was clouding his mind. He couldn't shake the feeling that serious damage had been done.

After five minutes of serious thinking and a lot of effort Neal managed to sit up. That helped to clear his head. He rested his head on his knees and concentrated on breathing. He allowed no thoughts in his head except: inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale. The door opened.

Hugo and Wilkes stepped in. Neal scooted backwards away from them causing Wilkes to laugh. "I think the lesson is taught Hugo. Where's your Agent Burke now Caffrey?"

Neal remained silent. Waiting for the moment when Wilkes would sic Hugo on him again. Wilkes motioned the giant and Hugo walked over to Neal. "Hugo?"

The giant turned and Wilkes and they proceeded to have a conversation.

Neal had never been one for guns. It wasn't that he was particularly scared of guns but of the power they held. He was scared of what people could do with guns. Many a person had fallen victim to the lethal power of the weapon. Guns had the powers to start wars but not the power to end them. That though didn't stop him from staring at the Smith and Wesson tucked into Hugo's ankle holster. It didn't stop him from reaching out and grabbing the gun. It didn't stop him from aiming the gun at Hugo because Neal just wanted the pain to end. "Hugo!" Wilkes cried.

_Bang!_ _Bang!_

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**AN: I feel evil…but that's okay. Hope you all enjoyed Chapter 11. By the way, we are at 91 reviews and over 8000 hits. Let's keep racking up the numbers!**


	12. Chapter 12

**AN: Oh. My. Lord. I can't believe it has taken me so long to write. Before you pick up your pitchforks hear me out. I came down with the WORST case of writer's block I have ever faced. That is not an excuse so I pushed through it and wrote the WORST chapter I've ever written but it got me over my writer's block. I, of course, scrapped the chapter and wrote a new one but halfway through the chapter I had to go to camp for two weeks. If you have any brains you have realized where this story is going. I finished the chapter at camp (you have no idea how hard that was) and typed it up as soon as possible (aka today). So here is the chapter you've all been waiting for…Enjoy!**

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_"One had better die fighting against injustice than die like a dog or a rat in a trap." -Ida B. Wells_

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_Bang! Bang!_ The shots echoed in the small concrete room.

The first shot hit Hugo in the chest exactly where his heart was. He lived long enough for his eyes to widen and his jaw to drop. He fell to his knees and then crumbled forward. He was already dead when his nose crunched against the floor. The second shot his Wilkes in the shoulder and he cried out in pain. Horrified, Neal watched as Wilkes fell, seemingly in slow motion. His body hit the door and slumped down.

There were several things that Neal could've been worrying about: the pain still wracking his body, the fact he had just shot two men injuring one and killing the other, and even the fact that he was still being held hostage. But none of those problems were at the front of his mind. In fact, they weren't in his mind at all. The only thing in his mind, the fact that was taking up every thought and idea in his head was the sound of the door clicking shut as Wilkes fell against it.

A door with no lock.

A door with no hinges.

A door with no handle.

A door that was now closed.

The concrete room had become his grave.

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The strip club boasted the name BOOM and the two Os were made into a pair of neon breasts. It was ridiculously tacky; the first place he would expect Hugo to be but the last place he would expect Wilkes. Nonetheless, he would go inside and take a look. He glanced at his wife who stood on the other side of the car. Her eyes were closed and she was shaking her head. "What's wrong El?"

"It's simply amazing the kind of trash you can find in New York." El said.

Peter nodded. "Unfortunately I have to go to go to places like this all the time."

"Oh really?" El asked brow raised.

Peter's jaw went slack. "That came out wrong. What I meant was–"

Diana's laugh interrupted him. "You're digging yourself a deep hole Peter. How 'bout we go inside now."

"Yes. Of course." Peter said, grateful for the change of subject. "Come on."

The inside somehow managed to be tackier than the outside. It reeked of sweat, sex, booze, and smoke. The men were bold and heavily overweight. El scoffed, "How cliché! It's just like the movies."

Peter glanced at his wife. "What movies have you been watching?"

"Don't worry Elizabeth." Diana said. "I saw that movie too."

Peter walked over to the bar. Something the movies and T.V. shows _did_ get right was that the bartender knows everything. The bartender could have easily fit in with the customers. He looked up at Peter. "Wha'd'ya wan'?"

Peter flashed his badge. "FBI."

"So?" The bartender asked. "Wha'd'ya wan'?"

Peter pulled out a photo of Hugo. "Have you ever seen this man?"

The bartender glanced at the photo before shaking his head. "Nope. Never sawn 'im."

"Are you sure?" Peter asked. "Keep in mind that I know about your expired liquor license."

It had been a gamble but as usual Peter had guessed correctly. The bartender swore and snatched the photo from Peter's hand. After a brief moment of analysis he nodded. "Yeah, yeah. 'E was in 'ere last night."

"Was that the first time you saw him?" Peter asked.

"Nah. 'E's in 'ere lots. Almost ev'ry day." The bartender replied.

Peter then pulled out a photo of Wilkes out. "Has this man ever been with him?"

The bartender nodded. "Came in 'bout two, three days 'go. Only 'member 'im 'cause we don't get lots of blacks."

Peter pulled out the picture of Neal last. "How about this man?"

The bartender shook his head. "Never sawn 'im. Sorry but that's the honest truth."

Peter wasn't sure the bartender would recognize the truth if it bit him on the rear but for some reason he believed the man. A voice spoke behind him. "Oh dear. What's Blue Eyes done?"

Peter turned to see one of the strippers, clothed thankfully. She was a dyed blonde with too much make-up and she was pointing at Neal's picture. "You recognize this man Miss?"

The woman laughed. "Of course I recognize him. Blue Eyes is one man I'll never forget."

"What do you mean?" Peter said.

"Look around mister." The woman said. "And then look at him. He would stand out anywhere but in a crowd of fat, ugly men…he makes quite the dream."

"Of course." Peter said. "When did you see Blue Eyes?"

"About two or three days ago. Him and two others came in through the back. Poor Blue Eyes was knocked out." She said. "They must have left while I was dancing because I never saw him leave."

"And now…Saucy Stacey!" The announcer yelled.

The girl sighed. "Sorry but I gotta go. That's me."

Peter almost wished her luck but somehow that seemed wrong so he simply nodded and watched her leave. He walked back over to E3lizabeth and Diana. "You guys find anything?"

Diana nodded. "Hugo was spotted several times by nearly everyone, about three or four people saw Wilkes but only once. The girls all saw Neal but he was unconscious apparently."

"I got the same thing." Elizabeth said. "Funny thing was that–"

"No one saw them leave." Peter finished. A dancer waked by but he stopped her. "Is there a basement to this building?"

The girl nodded. "Why?"

Peter grinned. "Where are the stairs?"

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**AN: I hope that wasn't too much of a cliffhanger. I feel bad about leaving you so long with the last one. I'm unsure how far to take this. Please tell me if you would like several more chapters or just a few. As always review please. We're at over 100 reviews and over 10,000 hits. Let's keep racking them up okay?**


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